County Londonderry - 51 places to stay

To the west of Northern Ireland, just by the border with Ireland, you’ll find the County of Londonderry, whose main city takes the same name. The county is a glorious combination of contrasting landscapes - the Sperrin Mountains are to the South with their forests and river glens, to the east are Lough Foyle, Magilligan Strand (Ireland's longest beach) and the beautiful Roe Valley Country Park. The inland sea of Lough Neagh is to the south east, Lough Foyle to the North West and the magnificent Causeway Coast to the North.

The county provides the ultimate choice of terrains for the outdoor junkie whether they want to walk, climb, cycle, paddle, abseil, row, hike, fish or…..well, whatever they need to do. There’s plenty of camping and caravanning sites to welcome them. While they are doing all that, the rest of you can find plenty to do either by using the city of Londonderry as the main base for a stay, taking advantage of its great modern attractions as well as exploring its great heritage sites, or by taking a tour visiting the many beautiful towns around the county.

The city of Londonderry is Northern Ireland’s second largest city and the fourth largest urban centre in the whole of Ireland. In 1613, at the time of the plantation of Ulster, the City of London sent master-builders and money to rebuild the ruined medieval town hence the name Londonderry, but most people refer to the town and the county as Derry. Derry is in fact the only completely walled city in the UK - the existing walls dating from the 17th century are 1 mile in circumference and still intact. The wonderfully compact modern city preserves the 17th-century layout of four main streets extending from the Diamond to four gateways - Bishop's Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Shipquay Gate and Butcher's Gate. Dominating the skyline on all approaches to the city is the 1633 Gothic Cathedral of Saint Columb which is unmissable. Local history buffs should head for the Tower Museum for the whole story of Derry. If you want a different view of the city, take a scenic cruise down the River Foyle – a night cruise is particularly impressive.
Other key attractions in the county include the Earhart Centre at Ballyarnet where Amelia Earhart, brought her plane down in 1932 during her attempt to fly the Atlantic solo.